jvkepvrker

[jvkepvrker]

Critical evaluation

From the beginning of my project, my main theme was veganism; focusing on protests, propaganda and militant vegans. I stated that I wanted to explore all aspects of veganism (cruelty, health and the environment) rather than sticking to on topic. Throughout the project, I have experimented with all of these ideas, but towards the end I concluded that it would be best to narrow it down to one. I decided to pursue the idea of exploitation as this linked with a lot of the artwork I was making at the time. I came to this realisation when I reviewed my work and discovered the most successful pieces are based on the way in which animals are exploited. From then, I continued looking at exploitation and how animal bodies are objectified/ turned in inanimate objects. This was a good decision as it allowed me to focus primarily on one thing and the point I was trying to make. It made me feel less overwhelmed and helped resolved the theme of the project. I also planned to look at protests and propaganda (anonymous for the voiceless) as the was something I hoped to do for my final piece. However, further into the project bother myself and Tracey decided that it would be too explicit for a young audience- even though I couldn’t pursue this idea, it proved the point of my project. If showing animals being slaughtered is too explicit, you have to ask yourself why you would contribute to an industry that does it. Something I wasn’t expecting to look at within this project is the idea of mixing pretty with gross. Throughout the experimentation process, I have been using pink/ flesh tones in my work. This inspired me to look at the connection between pretty and gross; a bag made from leather or a coat made from fur. This inspired new ideas, such as the purse made from skin with cow udders, the skin wallet and the skin belt. I think these experiments are some of my strongest experiments as they are quite disgusting, but also have something about them that makes you want to look. After reviewing my work and discussing with Tracey about my final piece. I decided to pursue the idea of making a shop display. I came to this conclusion due to the layout and aesthetic of my work. My experiments all had a decorative/ cutesy vibe to them; like they are products ready to be sold. This also linked to the idea I have been pursuing throughout the project; objectifying animals.

I visited farms and fields with animals like cows, sheep, chickens, goats and geese. Visiting these places let me observe the animals I was making work about.

I think both the primary, secondary and artist research I collected was good and gave me enough inspiration to continue working from throughout the project. However, to really get a feel for how the animals are treated and the conditions they live in I could have visited dairy farms or even abattoirs. I think this may have developed my ideas further, but I am vegan because I don’t like the way animals are treated and I don’t want to see it. Therefore, this would just go against what I believe, and I decided against visiting these places. I don’t think this limited my ideas in any way as I started making work about the leather and fur industry. In terms of secondary research, I used a range of sources including websites, documentaries and my peers’ opinions. This helped progress my ideas a lot because it improved my knowledge and gave me a better understanding of veganism.

The main problem I encountered throughout the project was trying to narrow down my ideas to one common theme. Veganism has so many different routes of exploration and I found it difficult to decided what I wanted to pursue as I feel passionate about all of them. I solved this problem when I did a review of my work in the middle of the project. This help decide what worked best and I concluded to investigate the way in which animals are exploited. This then gave me more ideas to look at shops and museums.

 Another recurring problem I encountered was trying to find artists that made similar work to me. There aren’t many artists that make work about veganism, so I had to use artists that are the opposite of veganism; using animal bodies and products. Although they weren’t making work specifically about veganism, I think this help with my idea generation and stopped me from making work that was too cliché, both conceptually and visually.

Due to the nature of my project, it required a lot of experimentation, risk taking and adaptation. I used several practical methods throughout the project such as: sustainable art, sculpture, photography and film. I really enjoyed looking into sustainable art and tried to make most of my work from recycled materials/ objects. All the fake skin and leather is made from melted plastic bags that I had manipulated and sewn together to become new objects. While making these objects, I gained a new skill which was using a sewing machine. Throughout the project I have tried to maintain a high standard of work; while still experimenting and being as true to my personal style as possible.

My time management was quite successful. I have been recording daily in my journal, keeping time sheets and making action plans. In my journal I have stated what I am going to do that day and reflecting on how that day went at the end. My weekly action plan was used to plan what I was going to do in that week. I used different colours to mark whether I had achieved what I planned to do or if I needed to complete it another day. I learnt that keeping an action plan helped to set a goal for the day and it allowed me to keep on top of all my work without falling behind. I used both my journal and Tumblr to record my work; posting photos, research and artists on Tumblr and evaluating my experiments, making notes and planning in my journal. This worked effectively for me because it separates the research from the planning and evaluation and overall makes it less for confusing.

Overall, I found my final outcome to be quite successful, as it fits the project brief of ‘Out there’ and gets the point across that I was trying to make. The end result fits the theme of out there because of the gross/ disturbing nature of it and the controversial topic behind it all. I think the way I have used a collection of experiments that I made throughout the project in my final piece really helped with this, as they are based on different aspects of exploitation/ veganism; but all link together to give the same message- stop normalising exploitation.

 I am very happy with how the presentation of my final piece looks. I have tried to maintain a high standard of work; while still experimenting and being as true to my personal style as possible. I think this works because I have stepped out of my comfort zone, while still enjoying what I am making. I think the pink, glitter and hearts work really well in my final piece as it shows the mix of pretty and gross and almost glamorises the whole idea. The grass relates back to farms and farm animals, but also breaks up the pink and makes the overall piece look more aesthetically pleasing.

To improve the overall piece, I would use the protest idea I had at the start of my project inspired by anonymous for the voiceless. I couldn’t do this because it would’ve been too explicit for the audience. However, I think this would really sell my idea, alongside the shop; maybe showing videos of animals in a slaughterhouse or butcher shop?

Another way I would improve this piece is to go bigger. If I had the time, space and resources, I would like to create an entire shop. A room full of my disturbing creations- maybe even some of them for sale?

overall, I am happy with my final outcome as it is not too overwhelming to the audience, but still gets my point/ opinion across effectively.

[jvkepvrker]

Supporting statement

For my final piece I have explored veganism and the way in which animal bodies are exploited and objectified for human use. In this exhibition I aimed to create my own brand/ shop called ‘Jake’s Little Shop of Horrors’ containing products and objects based on how animals are used. I wanted to emphasise how much people really value animal bodies by pricing the items at only £1. I have investigated the mix between pretty and gross through the use of pink, glitter and hearts. By glamorising and turning animals into decorations; I have created a shop display full of beautiful but disturbing items.

In my work, I wanted to highlight why so many people try to find loopholes and flaws with veganism. Why are you trying to argue against something that only has the sole intention of reducing suffering and being kind to others and the planet?

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Final piece

Jake’s Little Shop of horrors, open for business 🐄

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Setting my final piece up for the exhibition + losing the will to live

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Laying everything out on the board and seeing how the grass and sign look behind it

starting to hammer nails in to hang things from

use hot glue for the smaller objects that can’t be hung

use chains to hang things from the chandelier- symbolises meat hanging in a butcher shop/ slaughter house

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Price tags to go on items

Priced at only £1 to symbolise how much people value animal bodies

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The layout I have decided on

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Objects ready to be put onto the board

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Final piece process- painting board pink

Chosen presentation idea 1

This idea allowed the items going onto the board stand out. Whereas on the grass, the smaller objects get lost.

I will still incorporate the grass in the background behind the board. I have chosen to use grass as it symbolises farms, farm animals etc.

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Presentation ideas

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Testing a grass background for my final piece

The objects don’t stand out as much because the grass is too dark- especially the small letters

It would be hard to attatch the objects

What to do next

Test out a pink background

How I will attach things- hooks, screws, nails...

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Would you eat me?

Going back to the idea of vegan propaganda

Making a decoration out of a human doll, asking would you eat a human?

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More inspiration for final piece- it was hard to find specific artists that made work like this

Cutesy shop setting

I will be selling gross items in a ‘pretty’ shop to show how animals are objectified and how they are exploited and glamourised.

Using pinks, pastel colours, Hearts etc.

Jakes little shop of horrors?

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Using dolls to symbolise slaughter

- reversing the roles. How do you feel about humans being slaughtered?

This is just a quick experiment that I thought of when I was asking myself, why is it right to eat animals, but wrong to eat humans?

What to do with this experiment?

Hang with meat hooks- like in a slaughter house

Hang from chandelier experiment

Display in shop? Meat section?

Hang with chains?

[jvkepvrker]

Skin Chandelier

Inspired by Elle Chen

Covering a chandelier in plastic skin- Turning animals into inanimate objects.

Added roses to almost glamourise the idea of killing animals.

[jvkepvrker]

Artist inspiration for final piece

Elle Chen

I was inspired by her work due to the ‘cutesy’ aesthetic. This is something I want to pursue in my final piece to show the idea of objectifying animals- turning them into pretty objects to be sold in a shop.

An installation piece by Elle Chen called ‘Creepy gals love motel’ has inspired the idea of having my own shop/ brand for the exhibition (nothing will actually be for sale). In this piece, she uses a collection of her work to create a bedroom setting in the style of a motel. You can see that she has the same aesthetic in all of her pieces; something I have done throughout the project.

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Following on from animal testing sculptures- Making decorative animals to go in my ‘shop’

Painted pink to show that animals used in the leather/ fur industry are only seen as a pretty bag, purse or coat etc.

Objectifying them by turning them into decorations